The Stars Led Us To This
by TheGems
Summary: Lucy doesn't want to go home for Christmas alone. Juvia doesn't have anywhere to go. Also known as: the story of how Juvia falls in love with the girl who has sunshine in her hair, and Lucy falls in love with the girl who has the ocean in her eyes.
1. Chapter 1

"I just don't want to go home for Christmas break alone again, you know?" Lucy said, resting her head on her hand.

She was sitting at their table, after pacing around while complaining for a good ten minutes. He took a break from packing to look over his shoulder and see her, looking out the window with a seemingly miserable expression on her face, as if trying to get his pity.

Lucy was exaggerating. She did that, sometimes.

Natsu rolled his eyes and turned back around, a smile on his face while he continued putting clothes away. "Listen, Luce. You're single, it's not that big of a deal."

"That's what you think!" she said, a little too loudly, "Last year, Asuka had a boyfriend. Asuka! My six year old niece!" she sighed, before continuing, "Michelle is the worst. She brought back her girlfriend and boyfriend last year, and her teasing was plain cruel…"

This reminded Natsu of the one time he did meet Lucy's cousin, Michelle. She was sweet, but did seem like a tease.

"I don't know, Lucy. You could ask someone to pretend to date you for a few weeks."

Lucy nodded. "I thought of that, but, who could I ask?"

"Well…" Natsu thought for a while, "There's me and Gray, but he's coming with me to dad's, so I guess that's not happening."

"Definitely not."

"Loke?"

Lucy snorted. "He'll embarrass us too much; no."

"...Cana?"

"Her dad's dragging her somewhere."

Natsu sighed, defeated. That was their entire friend group, minus Erza and Mirajane, and he knew those two would be going somewhere together.

Suddenly, it hit him.

He snapped his fingers while turning around to face his friend. "Juvia! Gray told me she's staying here, so there's no way she's going somewhere."

He grinned triumphantly at Lucy, while she looked confused.

"Juvia?" she repeated the name, silently.

Juvia was Gray's best friend; they'd known each other for the longest time. Lucy and Juvia weren't close at all, really, they'd just occasionally see each other during big group gatherings. Juvia was a sweet, quiet girl. She didn't really say much.

Lucy didn't think Juvia would accept, but after all, what other choice did she have?

"Where is she?"

Later, after texting Gray, she knocked on his and Juvia's apartment door. She fumbled with her hair, nervously, while waiting for him to answer the door.

He opened it, two suitcases in hand, and smiled at her. "Hi, Lucy. I'm going to Natsu's, we're leaving in 30 minute," he pointed to a door to his left, "Juvia's in there."

Lucy nodded, trying not to let her worry show.

"Bye, Juvia!" he shouted to the room.

"Bye, Gray! Have fun!"Juvia's said, her voice muffled by the door.

"Good luck." Gray whispered.

"Thanks," Lucy whispered back, "I'll be back soon."

She stood in the living room until she couldn't hear Gray's footsteps going down the stairs, then she cautiously knocked on Juvia's bedroom door.

"Come in!" she answered.

Lucy walked into the room, leaving the door open behind her. Lucy found the room charming; there was a desk covered with books, a chair, a large window, and a bed full of different colored pillows.

Juvia was sitting crossed legged on the bed, typing furiously on a laptop. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, and her blue hair was tied into a ponytail that lay on her right shoulder. She looked busy, and Lucy didn't want to bother her, but it was a little too late for that.

Lucy cleared her throat, awkwardly, and Juvia looked up. Her features immediately softened.

"Hey, Lucy. Gray told me you were coming," she said, while closing her laptop.

Lucy wasn't sure whether she should sit down on the sofa chair in the corner of the small room, or just stand around. She ended up doing the latter.

"So, what's up?" Juvia asked.

"Well…" Lucy really had no idea how to explain this, "I'm travelling back home for the winter break."

Juvia nodded, urging her to carry on.

"And I… Um… I need someone to pretend to be my partner, and everyone is going somewhere, and you're the only person left that I can think of." Lucy spat out, far too quickly.

She mentally kicked herself. _Great job, Lucy!_ she told herself sarcastically, _You really couldn't have put it in a worst way!_ She closed her eyes, hoping the floor would swallow her whole.

To her surprise, she heard Juvia say, "Sure."

"Wait, really?" she asked in disbelief.

Juvia laughed quietly. "Why not? I don't really understand why you need to pretend to be dating someone, but anything beats being here alone for two weeks."

Lucy smiled, trying to stop herself from hugging the other girl. "Oh my god, thank you so much Juvia-"

"I'll do it on one condition, though."

Lucy sighed, it was too good to be true. "What is it?"

"Well, I've already done most of my work for the vacation this weekend," Juvia said, looking down at the pile of books surrounding her, "but I seem to be struggling a lot with the essay I have to write in English. I've heard that a certain someone is excelling in English..." she said with a smile.

Lucy gasped dramatically. "Juvia! I would have never thought you would cheat!"

Juvia laughed, and Lucy instantly loved that sound. "Okay, but seriously, what do you say, Lucy?"

Lucy pondered about it. She didn't really feel like writing another essay, but she'd already done hers, and it seemed like the only way to convince Juvia. "Okay, fine, I'll do it."

She got up to leave, then abruptly turned around to face Juvia again. "Oh, by the way, we're leaving tomorrow at noon."

Juvia looked around, already mentally deciding what to take. "How are we travelling?"

"By train. I'll come pick you up at around… Eleven thirty, maybe?" Lucy asked.

"That works for me."

They awkwardly stared at each other, before Lucy started stammering. "Well, uh, I guess I'll get going then."

Juvia's small smile dropped. "Oh… Alright, then," she said, disappointedly.

Lucy started walking towards the door. "See you tomorrow, then," she paused, "Hey, Juvia… Thank you."

"Don't worry about it."

 **actual mermaid (23:09):** Gray

 **actual mermaid (23:09):** Do you think this was a bad idea?

 **ice ice baby (23:09):** nah

 **ice ice baby (23:10):** youre getting an essay done for you + youre getting free food and all that jazz

 **ice ice baby (23:10):** and all you have to do is pretend to be lucys girlfriend

 **ice ice baby (23:10):** although youll probably have to kiss and stuff but shes cute so i dont think it'll be a problem

 **actual mermaid (23:10):** Shit

 **actual mermaid (23:11):** I hadn't even thought of that

 **actual mermaid (23:11):** Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 **ice ice baby (23:11):** juv

 **ice ice baby (23:11):** what were you expecting from 'fake dating'

 **actual mermaid (23:11):** IDK

 **ice ice baby (23:11):** *s i g h*

 **ice ice baby (23:11):** itll be fine

 **ice ice baby (23:11):** just try not to fall in love

 **actual mermaid (23:11):** Oh haha

 **actual mermaid (23:11):** Hilarious

Juvia groaned, leaving her phone to charge. She was finding sleep impossible, and counting sheep never helped her.

Her bags were done, even though she had no idea where they were going, as Lucy had not mentioned it (she supposed she could text her, but, she didn't want to bother her). She wasn't worried about the trip, really, but more about what was going to happen when they arrived. Juvia wanted to help Lucy, but she hadn't dated many people, and she certainly never had to _pretend_ to be dating anyone.

She spent hours scrolling through social media on her phone, and just staring at the ceiling, trying to fall asleep. At some point, she wondered how Lucy's family was. Lucy was such a kind, cheerful person, it only seemed natural she would have a loving family. Juvia couldn't help but think about any sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles Lucy could have. She wondered if they looked like her. She thought about Lucy's smile, that she'd only seen on a few occasions, and she couldn't imagine anyone else smiling like that.

And that's how Juvia fell asleep; thinking about Lucy.

The next morning, Lucy knocked on Juvia's door. After a few minutes with no answer, she let herself in.

She'd been up for a few hours, packing her bags (she'd left them to the last minute: she asked herself whether living with Natsu was changing her), and making phone calls. First, her dad, to let him know that she was bringing another person. After that, she called Michelle, partly because she wanted to talk to her cousin, mostly to show off.

"So, Lulu…" Michelle teased, "Another year of being single, hmm?"

"I can't believe you're still using that nickname. And actually, no."

Michelle screeched into the phone, making Lucy jump. "Lucy! Tell me everything! Where did you two meet?"

Lucy giggled, despite wanting to be angry. "Michelle, you're acting like I've been single my entire life."

"Well, it's been a while. Aw, man, I'm going to miss teasing you…" Michelle mused, sadly, causing Lucy to laugh again. "Still, tell me!"

Lucy leaned against her kitchen counter. "Well, her name is Juvia, we met through a mutual friend…" That part was true, at least.

"Go on."

"And we hit it off straight away." That part, on the other hand, was a lie.

"Aw! How long have you known each other?"

"Uh, since the beginning of the school year." They hadn't really talked until yesterday, but Michelle didn't need to know that.

"Oh, that's lovely! So, is she cute?"

"Yeah, she really is." Lucy definitely didn't need to lie about that; as far as she was could tell, everyone and their mother could tell that Juvia was stunning.

"And what about-" Michelle's voice was abruptly cut off by someone shouting. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming! Sorry, Lulu, we're travelling soon, and you know how Lisbet is."

"It's fine, I can tell you everything when we meet up." _And once I've gotten time to make everything up,_ she added to herself.

"Bye bye for now, Lulu!" Michelle exclaimed cheerfully.

"Bye, and please stop calling me that."

"In your dreams, Lulu."

Lucy snapped out of her daydreaming and looked around the living room, but Juvia was nowhere to be seen.

After calling out for her a few time, Lucy gingerly and slowly opened the door to Juvia's room, only to see that the girl was fast asleep.

Juvia's bags were done, Lucy could see them on the floor next to the bed, but the girl was sleeping through her alarm; her phone was playing a song that Lucy didn't recognize.

Lucy sat on the edge of the bed, trying to decide how to wake her up. Juvia didn't look exactly gracious when she was sleeping (then again, who did?); even though she was facing away from Lucy, she could she that Juvia was snoring lightly, and there was a trail of drool on her cheek, but she also noticed that her hair looked magnificent. Long, blue, wavy locks were spread out on the pillow, and Lucy had to admit she was a little jealous; her hair was always a tangly mess when she woke up.

She almost reached out to caress Juvia's hair, before realizing what she was doing. Instead, she started gently prodding Juvia's arm, in hopes of getting her to wake up. Juvia didn't, though, and instead turned around and laid down in Lucy's lap. "Five more minutes," she groaned.

Lucy froze, unsure what to do. She could feel her cheeks getting warmer by the second, and her finger was left awkwardly hanging in the air.

At this point, Juvia had woken up a little, and immediately sensed that something was wrong. She slowly turned her head to look up, and saw Lucy's scarlet face. She stared for a few moments before screaming and scrambling off her.

She'd also turned into a blushing mess, and apologized profoundly. "Oh no, I'm so sorry! I hadn't realized! This is so embarrassing… I'm so sorry! Did I do anything else? I'm sorry!"

Lucy tried laughing it off. "Don't worry! It's fine."

After a few more minutes, Juvia looked at the watch on her wrist and screamed again. "We're late! I ruined everything, I'm so sor-"

"Juvia, stop apologizing, it's fine!" Lucy calmed her down, "I came to tell you that I was wrong about the time; we still have some time."

Juvia exhaled deeply and laid back down, covering her face with the blanket. "Thank goodness."

Lucy chuckled, while shaking her head. "You should probably start getting ready, though."

"Probably."

Lucy stood up and stretched her arms. "Well, I'll leave you for now. There's a coffee shop a few blocks away, come meet me there, if you want."

"What, like a date?" Juvia answered, without much thought.

"Sure."

Juvia's eyes shot open, but she couldn't actually see anything.

"Might as well get used to fake dating, right?"

Oh.

Right.

* * *

HUUUUGE THANKS TO MY DEAR FRIEND EMMY WHO HELPE WITH THIS FIC (and the title!), PLEASE GO SEND HER SOME LOVE ON LUCYHEARTFILIAVEVO ON TUMBLR (•̀ᴗ•́)و  
Anyway, yeah, hope you'll enjoy this!


	2. Chapter 2

Unfortunately, Juvia almost fell asleep again. She cursed at herself while getting ready as fast as possible, and decided to never fall asleep at 6 am before traveling ever again.

When she finally arrived at the shop, Lucy was already leaving, two cups in hand.

"You took a while, so I grabbed something just to be sure we aren't late. I didn't know if you liked coffee, so I just took hot chocolate. From what I can tell, everyone loves that." She said, gleefully handing Juvia a cup.

Juvia grabbed it gratefully. "Thanks," she took a sip, "I can't believe I missed our first fake date."

Lucy laughed at that, dragging Juvia away by the sleeve of her coat. "My friend, Levy, is gonna drop us off. We have to walk to her house, though."

Juvia nodded, trying to hide her embarrassment. Lucy linked their arms together the whole way, telling Juvia about Levy and how those two had met (Lucy had accidentally spilled boiling coffee all over her, apparently, which seemed like a very Juvia thing to do).

While Lucy talked, Juvia listened and looked around her; it was a perfect December morning, small, white snowflakes were falling through the air and crowding the streets. A few fell on Lucy and Juvia, but they didn't seem to notice.

When they were close to Levy's home, Lucy shivered from the cold. Juvia subconsciously stood closer to her while walking to keep her warmer, and Lucy silently thanked her.

Finally, they arrived, and Lucy tore away from Juvia, leaving her a little disappointed.

After a few seconds of knocking, Levy opened the door and threw herself into Lucy's arms, as if they hadn't seen each other in months. Lucy happily hugged her friend back, who noticed Juvia standing awkwardly.

"Oh, is this the girlfriend?" Levy asked, looking at Juvia.

"Uh, yeah," Lucy smiled at both of them, "This is the girlfriend."

Juvia was extremely surprised that neither of them mentioned the "fake" part, but she did her best to hide it.

"I'm Levy." The short girl said, extending her arm to Juvia.

Juvia looked at her; she also had blue hair, surprisingly, but it was lighter and shorter than hers. Actually, everything about the girl seemed shorter, from her hair, to her height, to her short tank top.

Levy seemed to notice where Juvia was staring, and hit her forehead with her hand while laughing. "Right, it's winter, isn't it?"

She grabbed a thick, fuzzy white coat before exiting the house and walking off in the direction of a SUV. "Alright then, girls, let's go!"

Juvia and Lucy sat in the back seat, while Levy drove the car in the front.

Juvia interrupted their chattering. "I can't believe you have an SUV."

"Well, it's pretty handy. I actually chose it because I'm always the person that has to drive others, whether it's because they're drunk or just don't have a way to get where they need to." After saying this, Levy looked at Lucy in the rear-view mirror, who just smiled back sheepishly.

"Huh. So, you're like a soccer mom."

Lucy roared of laughter while Levy tried her best to stay concentrated on the road, but a few giggles still escaped her. "Yes, I guess I am."

When they arrived at the train station, Lucy and Levy exchanged a hug, and Juvia was pulled into it, despite her small protests.

"Have fun in France!" Levy said, while going back into the car.

"France?" Juvia questioned Lucy.

"Yeah," Lucy answered, rummaging through her bag, before suddenly stopping, "Wait, please don't tell me I never mentioned this."

"You didn't."

"I can't believe myself!" Lucy exclaimed, "Anyway, yeah, we're going to France. Orléans, to be more precise."

"Wow, I've always wanted to go to France!" Juvia admitted, excitedly.

"Then I'll be sure to make it unforgettable for you!" Lucy merrily promised, before walking off to the train station.

* * *

Later, when they were seated on the train, Lucy started talking to Juvia about her family.

"We're staying at my dad's place. It's huge, but we'll probably have to share a room."

Juvia nodded, trying her best to stay concentrated on her friend's talking. She was finding it a little hard, though, since said "friend" was draping her legs on Juvia's, making them seem very much like a couple.

Which shouldn't have been a problem, really, since that's what they were going to have to pretend to be for about 2 weeks, but that didn't stop Juvia from getting flustered.

"Michelle lived with us for a year, once, and we insisted on being in the same room, so now I have two beds in my room, since we just ended up keeping them when she left." Lucy said, while putting her hair in a ponytail, "Where was I going with this? Right, basically we don't have to share a bed."

Juvia nodded, only half listening. She'd never noticed how pretty Lucy's face when her hair wasn't hiding it.

"Oh, by the way, you should get ready for when you meet Michelle," Lucy added, with a sigh, "She'll probably remind you of how unsuccessful my love life has been for the past few years."

Juvia cackled at that.

"My dad should be fine, he might try to set us on double dates with the others, though," Lucy winced at that, "My niece will probably be obsessed with your hair, to be honest," she mumbled, tugging a lock of Juvia's hair.

Juvia looked away, setting her gaze on their bags that were on the seats opposite them (luckily for them, the train was almost empty). She really had to get used to all this physical contact.

"You're an aunt?" Juvia asked.

Lucy let her hand drop. "Well, not exactly. Me and my cousins are just really close."

"How many cousins do you have?"

"Well, there's Michelle," Lucy seemed to mention her a lot, "and Bisca."

"Can you tell me about them?" Juvia suggested.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at that, but Juvia just shrugged. "The journey is like, 9 hours, might as well pass the time."

"Fair enough, I was just surprised you were interested in my family," Lucy readjusted her position, letting herself lean on the window next to her, "They're both happily married, and Bisca has a kid. Oh, Asuka, she's so adorable! You're going to fall in love with her, I swear."

'I'm not really the best with kids."

"You don't need to be when it comes to Asuka; she loves everyone." Lucy sighed happily.

Juvia somehow doubted that; the one time she had been left to take care of a baby alone; it kept crying and pulling her hair. It wasn't a great experience.

"Is that the only people that'll be there?" Juvia asked. In her opinion, the less people were there, the better it would be for them.

"There's also their husbands, my dad, and probably a few uncles and aunts." After saying that last word, Lucy's face became considerably pale, "God, I hope Ancha doesn't show up."

"Who?"

"My aunt. She didn't show up last year, so here's hoping."

"Is she really that bad?" Juvia questioned in disbelief.

Lucy snorted as an answer.

* * *

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

"Ha!"

"What the hell?"

"I'm the champion!" Lucy exclaimed joyfully.

"We played 30 games of this! Lucy, how did you win every time?" Juvia laughed, a little concerned.

"Haven't you heard? I'm magic!" she joked, and pulled her tongue out.

Lucy had taken her legs of Juvia's, and they were now sitting opposite each other, doing anything they could to entertain themselves.

"What's the bravest thing you've ever done?" Lucy asked, sometime later.

Juvia thought about it for a while, before answering, "Well, I did save someone from drowning once."

"What, really?"

"Yeah… I was at this public pool, once, and this one kid that couldn't swim slipped into the pool," Juvia shrugged, "I got him out."

"That's amazing!"

She just smiled shyly back, before suddenly frowning. "Lucy, is your entire family going to be speaking French?"

Lucy gave a short laugh at Juvia's worried expression. "Well, probably not, we all speak English too," she frowned, before adding, "Though, if Ancha shows up, she might insult me in Korean."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she's my mom's sister, and their father is Korean, so they learned the language. But, you'll mostly be hearing English and French. Hey, what languages do you speak?" Lucy enquired.

"Just English and Indian."

The next few hours were a mess, consisting mostly of them chatting about their majors (Lucy's was English, Juvia's was Marine Biology), playing random games (Juvia tried winning again, but failed) and lots of laughing. At some point, Lucy had started braiding Juvia's hair.

"We really should have talked sooner. It shouldn't have taken me needing a fake partner for us to become friends."

Juvia laughed, hard. "Yeah, but I'm glad we're friends now at least."

"Say, Juvia, how come you weren't going home for Christmas?"

Juvia looked away, biting her lip. This was really not a question she wanted to answer.

"It's cool, you don't have to answer." Lucy reassured her.

Juvia opened her mouth to say something, but words were instead replaced with a yawn. She really wish she'd slept more.

Lucy moved closer to Juvia, allowing the other girl to rest on her shoulder. "You should sleep a bit."

"You sure?" Juvia asked. She was met with Lucy's stern glare. Juvia was too tired to protest, and laid her head down on Lucy's shoulder, drifting off to sleep.

"Hey, Juvia, wake up."

She did, rubbing her eyes. The few other passengers were already leaving.

She'd woken up, briefly, an hour ago, only to notice that Lucy had fallen asleep against her, too. She was too exhausted to be embarrassed.

As soon as they stood out the train, Juvia went numb with cold. Lucy handed her scarf to her, which Juvia put on hastily, but not before thanking her.

It was only when Lucy grabbed her hand that Juvia remembered she was about to meet Lucy's dad.

* * *

 _Did you know that the abbreviation of this fic's title is 'TSLUTT' because when I figured it out I almost died_

 _I can't believe I made Levy a Soccer Mom™_

 _Also, Ancha is a star in the constellation of Aquarius_


	3. Chapter 3

Jude Heartfilia look very average to Juvia. He had short, blonde hair, a mustache the same colour, and there was nothing remarkable about him. Nothing, except for the stern look on his face, which freaked Juvia out a little.

However, when he turned to face his daughter, the biggest smile crept onto his face as she jumped into his arms.

Juvia stood awkwardly to the side while they embraced, not quite sure what to do. She jumped a little when Jude extended his arm towards her.

"Hey there, I'm Jude." he said, with a smile.

Juvia nervously took it, shaking his hand. "I'm Juvia."

"So I've heard," Jude put a hand on Lucy's shoulder, "Well then, ladies, let's get going, you're the last ones to arrive."

Lucy shakily smiled at her dad, who picked their bags up, then walked next to Juvia, whispering, "Juvia, please, calm down."

Juvia almost exploded. "Calm down?" she angrily whispered, "I have just been brutally reminded I'm supposed to pretend to be your girlfriend, share a house with strangers for two weeks, and furthermore-"

Her complaining was interrupted by Lucy grabbing her hand. "It'll be alright, I promise." Lucy told her.

That shut Juvia right up, who just continued walking ahead.

"Thank you." Lucy muttered.

"Don't worry about it." Juvia replied.

The drive back home was certainly eventful. Lucy kept leaning over to change the music, and she talked extensively to her father about the school year and their trip. He kept trying to include Juvia in the conversation, but for the most part, she stayed quiet.

She was still very confused about everything going, especially why Lucy _needed_ a fake partner, as the brief explanation she had given her yesterday was not enough for her. Juvia asked her in the train, but Lucy just dodged the question, similarly to how Juvia had avoided the one about her parents.

Juvia looked out the window, for most of the journey. Orléans was a beautiful place.

When they finally arrived, Lucy grabbed Juvia's hand, yet again. Juvia wondered whether Lucy grabbed all her friends hands, or whether she just did that to people she was pretending to date. She wasn't sure whether Lucy was holding her hand because of the whole "fake dating", or because she wanted to help her calm down. Either way, Juvia appreciated it.

They barely left the car before Lucy got pulled into another hug by another person, tearing her hand away from Juvia's.

"Michelle, please!" Lucy screamed and laughed, while being lifted by her cousin.

Michelle's giggles stopped as soon as she saw Juvia, and she rushed over to her, inspecting her closely.

While Juvia's hair was being pulled, despite Lucy's protests, she got a chance to observe Michelle. Her face actually looked quite similar to Lucy's, but she had pale blue eyes instead of Lucy's brown ones, and her hair was light brown.

Finally, Michelle stepped away from Juvia, and looked at Lucy with a satisfied expression. "She's cute, good job."

Lucy had walked over to Juvia, ready to protect her from any more of Michelle's jabbing. "Uh, thank you?"

Michelle started walking towards the house and waved them over. Lucy looked over to Juvia, ready to apologize, but Juvia just sighed, grabbed her hand, and started walking.

When they entered, Lucy ran over to another woman, who Juvia assumed was Lucy's other cousin, Bisca. She had long, green hair, and a huge smile as she talked to her cousin endlessly. A man, presumably her husband, showed up and also took Lucy into his arms.

There was a lot of hugging going on when it came to Lucy, apparently.

Juvia observed from a distance, with a small smile tugging her lips.

Suddenly, she felt someone pull at her skirt very lightly. She looked down to see the most adorable child she'd ever seen, wearing a cowboy hat and a grin with a missing tooth.

"Are you Lucy's girlfriend?" she asked, with a twinkle in her eye.

"Yes." Juvia answered, with a little hesitation and a stutter.

Asuka gasped, and called over to the other side of the room. "Mama! Aunty Lucy is dating a mermaid!"

Everyone in the room burst into laughter, while Juvia turned into a flustered mess.

"Heya, I'm Bisca!" Bisca finally introduced herself to Juvia.

"I'm-"

"Juvia, I know," she said, patting her back a little too hard, "Welcome to the house of the Heartfilias!"

"You're not a Heartfilia."

"Not the point, Michelle."

Lucy complained, "Can everyone get their hands off my girlfriend? Seriously, first Michelle, and now Bisca."

Bisca's husband, Alzack, laughed and rubbed her head, "They're not trying to steal her, Lucy."

Lucy's face flushed. "That's not what I said!"

Jude showed up with their bags, and escorted the both of them to their rooms. Lucy rushed on ahead, leaving Jude alone with Juvia.

Curiosity got the best of Juvia, and she asked, "Uh, where's Lucy mom?"

Jude froze and his expression went blank. Juvia took this as a sign to not enquire further, and quickly shut up before running off to Lucy.

Lucy was staring at her bedroom from the door, mouth open in shock before turning around and screaming, "Dad! You changed the beds!"

Peeking into the room, Juvia saw that indeed, he had. The twin beds were replaced by a single double bed, and Juvia felt her heart sink to the floor.

"Well, yeah, for Asuka."

"You didn't tell me anything! God, I can't believe-"

While Jude and Lucy argued, Juvia looked around the room, wondering how comfortable the floor was, and what the quickest way back to Britain was.

"Lucy, what are you getting so worked about? What's wrong about sharing a bed with your girlfriend?"

Lucy paused, before shouting, "Sentimental value! The beds had sentimental value!"

"What?"

"Oh my God, just-" she laid down face first on the bed and groaned loudly.

Juvia sat down next to her, patting her back in a comforting way. "She'll be fine," she said to Jude, "I'll calm her down."

Jude quietly thanked her, before leaving and closing the door behind him.

After a few seconds of silence, Lucy got up, red-faced, "I'm sor-"

"Don't. Just don't," Juvia held out a hand to stop her, "If you apologize everytime something goes wrong on this trip, that might as well be the only thing that comes out of your mouth."

Lucy clumsily got up, sat down next to Juvia, and said, "So...Which side of the bed do you want?"

* * *

Juvia woke up, but didn't feel like getting up. Slowly, she rolled over and-

"Ah!" she shouted, "Ow!"

"What?" Mumbled a sleepy voice next to her.

"Lucy! Get off my hair!"

Lucy, eyes heavy with sleep, sat up on the bed at a snail's pace. She stretched her arms out, before turning to face Juvia, who was looking at her with fury in her eyes.

"What's going on?" Lucy wondered, yet again.

"You were sleeping! On my hair!" Juvia noisily answered.

"Oh. Sorry?"

Juvia rolled her eyes, before laying down again and decisively closing her eyes.; she wasn't ready to face the day yet. Lucy, on the other hand, threw on some clothes and went downstairs, still ready to fall asleep at any moment.

She arrived at the kitchen, where everyone seemed to be. She quickly said hello to Michelle's partners, Lisbet and Ichiro, and picked Asuka up, who ran up to her screaming.

"Aunty Lucy, aunty Lucy!" she hugged her, "Where's your mermaid girlfriend?"

Lucy laughed. "Why do you call her that?"

"Because she looks like one, her hair is super pretty!" Asuka exclaimed happily.

Lucy put her down, reaching in cupboard for some cereal. "She's still sleeping, I think."

"We heard shouting, though, is everything alright?" Alzack asked, picking his daughter up.

Lucy sighed. "Yeah."

Just as Lucy was leaving the kitchen, a bowl of cereal in hand, Juvia appeared, immediately starting to talk to Lucy, "Hey, Lucy, I just wanted to apologize for-"

She paused, noticing everyone watching her. Her eyes darted down, noticing she was the only one that was still wearing sleepwear. " _That's embarrassing. And awkward. Fantastic!"_ she thought to herself.

"I'll… I'll just go back upstairs." Juvia said, backing out of the room.

Once again, Lucy sighed, putting her bowl down and going up after Juvia. This was going to be one hell of a vacation.

Hours later, Lucy was sitting on a couch with Asuka, playing a game of cards with her. Asuka had made up some rules, and Lucy was very confused, but the little girl seemed to be having fun, which was what mattered.

Opposite them sat Juvia, Michelle and Bisca, who were all very captivated by their conversation. Lucy could hear bits and pieces of the conversation, and Juvia seemed relaxed for the first time since they'd arrived, which was a relief.

It was raining outside, and the sound of the rain against the windows was extremely calming. Asuka was already getting into the Christmas spirit; she was wearing a Christmas sweater and a Santa Claus hat on the 14th of December. Lucy thought it was a little too early, but she wasn't going to judge.

She got up at some point for a drink, where she found her dad in the kitchen, staring out the window. He went up to her and closed the door behind her.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No, not really," he looked around, as if worried that someone might come in, "It's just… You haven't told Juvia about Layla, have you?"

Hearing her name filled Lucy with dread, and she desperately needed something to latch onto. She settled with tightly holding her own arm in a deathly grip. "No… not yet."

"I thought so. She asked me about her and I had no idea what to respond."

Lucy nodded, biting her lip, like she always did when nervous. "I'll tell her. Later. I promise."

"You don't have to-"

"I do."

Back in the living room, Michelle interrupted the conversation when she remembered something. "Guys! We really need to go shopping. I checked in the fridge earlier, and there's like, no food."

"Me and Alzack promised to help Jude with something, so we can't go." Bisca said.

"Well, me, Ichiko and Lisbet were hoping to do a little sightseeing today…" Michelle admitted.

They both turned to Juvia, hoping she would agree.

"Me and Lucy can go then," she shrugged, "It's no problem."

Michelle thanked her before calling her partners from upstairs, getting ready to head out.

Jude left the kitchen, calling Bisca over. They also started walking, Jude looking a little distracted.

Just before they left, Bisca turned around to Juvia. "Oh, Juvia, would you mind taking Asuka with you?"

She didn't wait for an answer as Asuka sat gleefully on Juvia's lap.

Finally, Lucy exited the kitchen, looking surprisingly wide-eyed and distraught.

"Lucy, is everything alright?" Juvia asked, the worry clear in her voice.

This seemed to snap Lucy back to reality, who forced a smile on her face. "Yeah, it's all good."

Juvia nodded, unconvinced. She knew something was up, but didn't say anything else. If Lucy wanted to tell her something, she would.

Lucy looked around the room, looking a little concerned. "Where did everyone go?"

"Everyone has their own thing to do; we've been put in charge with food shopping," Juvia looked down at Asuka, "Also, babysitting."

"Huh," Lucy frowned, "Then I guess we should get going."

"How will we even get there?" Juvia questioned, while carrying Asuka on her back.

"The only way we can," Lucy sighed, opening the front door, "Public transport."

"Great."

* * *

"What are we even supposed to buy?" Juvia asked, taking a trolley and pushing it inside.

Lucy immediately rushed into an aisle and emerged with far too many boxes of cereal.

Juvia was already protesting, but Lucy put them in the trolley anyway.

Asuka sat in the baby seat, even though she was getting a little old for it. She pointed out various food items as Juvia pushed her along, and Lucy agreed and took every one of them.

"Candy! Spaghetti! Ice cream!" were just a few examples of things they had took.

It wasn't until Asuka yelled "Frozen pizza!" that Juvia stepped in.

"Don't you think we should be taking other things too? Like, fruits and veggies?"

Asuka looked at Juvia like she had committed a great offense, whereas Lucy looked a little disappointed, but agreed.

Asuka requested to be let out the trolley, to go look for more candy. Juvia begrudgingly agreed, letting her run off to where she needed to. Lucy leaned against Juvia. Juvia turned towards her, and gave her quick a peck on the cheek.

Both of them froze, looking at each other, their faces turning crimson.

"What was that for?" Lucy demanded.

" _I don't know. It felt right,"_ was what Juvia was thinking.

"I don't know. Fake dating?" was what she said, instead.

"But… There's no one here?" Lucy said. Juvia pretended to not hear her, and Lucy just let it go.

They finally left the supermarket after having spent far too much money on food, but Lucy and Asuka looked quite pleased with their haul.

"You two do realize that this means we have to carry this all the way to the bus, right?" Juvia remarqued.

Lucy's smile immediately dropped, looking at the many, many bags she was holding.

Asuka's smile, on the other hand, grew even wider. "You can't make me carry anything, I'm too young!" she looked quite proud of herself.

"We can't carry you anymore though, Asuka."

Asuka gasped, looking horrified. "Oh, no!"


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Juvia woke up a lot more gracefully than last time. Lucy had already gone downstairs, which meant she didn't have to worry about her hair this time, and she remembered to get out of her pajamas before going downstairs.

Sharing a bed with Lucy was surprisingly mundane; they each stayed on their sides of the bed, and the worst things that had happened so far were the 'Hair Incident' and Lucy falling out of bed at 5 am this morning.

However, when she arrived, she could already tell this was going to be another eventful day.

"Attends, tu te fous de ma gueule? Seriousement?" Lucy screamed angrily.

"Ugh, Lulu, tu es tellement enervante! Quand je te dis que-" Michelle shouted back, before abruptly stopping as Lucy angrily stomped towards Juvia.

"Babe," she started, as Juvia did a double take at the pet name, "Agree or disagree: chocolate ice cream is better than strawberry ice cream."

"I bet you've already brainwashed her, haven't you?" Michelle accused Lucy.

"It's chocolate, Michelle, chocolate! It always wins! Always!" Lucy yelled back.

Juvia shrugged, "I don't know. I like strawberry better."

Lucy put a shocked hand on her chest, looking thoroughly disappointed. Michelle screamed in victory, putting an arm around Juvia.

"Well, at the end of the day, I win, because I have a hot girlfriend." Lucy remarqued.

Juvia had no idea why Lucy was suddenly acting like this, but now didn't seem like the time to ask. If only she could control her blushes.

"Well I have a hot boyfriend and girlfriend." Michelle cockily replied, winking at Lucy.

Lucy accepted her defeat, mumbling to herself.

Speaking of, Juvia realized she hadn't really seen much of Michelle's partners. It always seemed like they were out of the house.

As if reading her mind, Michelle said, "I miss them. I wish they didn't have to work during the vacations."

She left in direction of the kitchen to drown her sorrows with a drink (juice, probably; that seemed more like her style). As soon as she gone, Juvia went over to Lucy.

"So, uh, what's with all the sudden PDA?" she enquired.

Lucy answered, still clearly annoyed by her cousin, "Michelle said something about how platonic we were acting most of the time, I thought it was time to step up our game."

Juvia shrugged, agreeing silently.

"Besides, that's not really PDA," Lucy said, smiling, clearly having a trick under her sleeve, "PDA is more like... this," she demonstrated, taking Juvia's hands in her own, and leaning her own forehead against Juvia's.

The two extra inches Juvia had on Lucy didn't make her feel any more confident. Lucy's face had a slightly pink hue, whereas Juvia's was full on crimson.

"I see," Juvia mumbled, desperate to escape Lucy's clutches before she made a fool of herself, "Well, now that that's clear, maybe, you could, uh-"

"Good morning, lovebirds!" A cheery voice called out to them, completely ruining the moment.

They turned to face Bisca, holding a tired Asuka on her hip. "Glad to see you two, too," she said, after they didn't say anything and just awkwardly stared.

Asuka seemed to stir away, and immediately saw the two girls. "Aunty Lucy! Aunty..." she struggled to remember Juvia's name, "Aunty Juvy!" she finally settled with.  
Her mother put her down as she run to hug the two, still holding hands.

Asuka really loved being held by Juvia; while Lucy and Bisca talked, she went from going in Juvia's arms, to going on her back, before finally settling on her shoulders. Juvia couldn't refuse anything Asuka demanded.

"Mom," Asuka whined, "Can we take Aunty Lucy and Juvy back with us?"

"Darling, you know we can't." Bisca answered and smiled lovingly at her daughter. Juvia felt a pang hit her heart.

"Where do you guys live?" Juvia asked Bisca.

"Italy!" she replied happily.

"I went there, once, back when Asuka was tiny," Lucy joined in, "Don't really remember it. I ate, mostly."

* * *

 **irl dragon (5:30 PM)** : n yea  
 **irl dragon (5:30 PM)** : gray wants to kill me now

 **starchild (5:30 PM)** : Wow  
 **starchild (5:30 PM)** : Natsu what the hell were you thinking

 **irl dragon (5:30 PM)** : we all,, make mistakes  
 **irl dragon (5:30 PM)** : its not my fault im innocent  
 **irl dragon (5:30 PM)** : anyway,,, hows the family

 **starchild (5:30 PM)** : It's all good  
 **starchild (5:30 PM)** : No one's making fun of me anymore, I think everyone's just impressed I got a cute girlfriend  
 **starchild (5:31 PM)** : What about you guys?

 **irl dragon (5:31 PM)** : i genuinely cant tell if igneel and gray hate or love each other  
 **irl dragon (5:31 PM)** : both maybe?  
 **irl dragon (5:31 PM)** : idk they have a weird relationship  
 **irl dragon (5:31 PM)** : im just glad they met tbh  
 **irl dragon (5:31 PM)** : theyre the two most important in my life so

 **starchild (5:31 PM)** : AWWWWW  
 **starchild (5:31 PM)** : YOU SAPPY GAY

 **irl dragon (5:32 PM)** : FUCK OFF LUCY

Lucy laughed at Natsu's latest text, before looking at Juvia and Asuka, sitting next to her.

Asuka sat in Juvia's lap, playing with her curls, and telling her about an adventure she'd had with her dad. Juvia listened closely, nodding at times, a smile on her lips.

Lucy discreetly took a picture with her phone, debating sending it to Gray. Then she remembered that Natsu broke his phone, but still kept the picture.

Finally, after a pat on the head, Asuka rushed off.

"Have you heard the story of how Asuka got her hat?" Juvia called out towards Lucy.

"I haven't actually."

"It's amazing. Sounds a little illegal, though."

Lucy frowned, a little concerned. Juvia just laughed as an answer, before taking her phone out, and leaning against Lucy. Lucy jumped at the sudden contact, but shrugged it off and grabbed her book.

"You know," Juvia said, a little while later, "Maybe we should be helping with the cooking."

"Perhaps." Lucy answered, clearly not planning on moving.

"Stop being so lazy!" Juvia told her, hitting her lightly with her hand. Before she could pull away, Lucy interlaced it with her own.

"That's cheating.'' Juvia said flatly. Lucy giggled and stuck her tongue out at her.

* * *

"Lucy?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you awake?"

"Obviously."

Juvia shifted in the bed, turning to face Lucy. This resulted in their faces being barely inches away from each other, but neither of them moved away.

"Why did you need a fake partner?" Juvia asked the question she'd been curious about for days now.

Lucy closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She stayed like that, silent, for a bit, before sitting up on the bed and hugging her knees.

"It's a bit weird, alright? Just- Don't laugh or anything like that."

Juvia nodded, but she doubted that Lucy saw her. She could barely see Lucy, just a vague shadow, curled up.

"My mom died. A while ago."

That was definitely not the direction Juvia was expecting this to go, but she'd signed up for this. Plus, it answered another one of her questions, which she thought might be good.

"It really shook us up, me and my father. Especially our relationship. We fought," she closed her eyes at the painful memories, hoping that it would somehow stop them from coming, "We fought a lot."

"My mother was, and still is, the best person I'd ever known. Everyone loved her, Juvia," Lucy continued, "She was so wonderful, and strong, and beautiful. She was a genius, admired by many."

"After she died, along the way, all the arguments I was having with my dad lead me to believe I had to be perfect. I had to be just like her, I had to make everyone proud."

As Lucy shrugged, Juvia sat up as well, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"It's stupid. I know. But that's what I believed. And I think, deep down, I still do."

"Last year…" A few tears fell down Lucy's cheeks, "They made fun of me, a little, for being single. And it shouldn't have been a problem, at all, because really, it's not one at all. And yet, I got so scared, I don't know why. I convinced myself that by next year, I'd have an amazing partner and they'd all be happy and proud," she shook her head, and gave a short bitter laugh, "Turns out true love didn't quite find me yet, and last week, when my dad called to remind me about coming over, God, you should have seen me. I freaked out so bad, I think I had a nervous breakdown."

Lucy was crying now; hot, wet tears were falling down her cheeks, as Juvia wiped them away. "It's ridiculous. It's pathetic. I'm pathetic. I don't know why everything I do, everything I am has to depend on what others think about me, but it does, and I hate it," she let her head fall on Juvia's shoulder, nesting her head between it and Juvia's throat, who hugged her tightly, "I hate it so much, Juvia," she finally whimpered quietly.

Silence reigned now, as Lucy cried silently and Juvia felt awful for her friend. After a few minutes, after Lucy had calmed down a little, Juvia spoke up.

She pulled Lucy away from her, holding her close, looking straight into her eyes,"You're not perfect."

She could barely see in the dark, but she knew that Lucy blinked. She guessed she probably looked confused, too. This was certainly not the comfort she was expecting.

"Neither am I. Neither was your mom" Juvia took a deep breath, "We all have flaws, that's just the way it is. If you keep trying to be someone you're not, you'll miss out on a lot of amazing things, Lucy."

Short, but straight to the point; exactly what Lucy needed.

A few more tears fell down her cheeks, but Juvia could still see small smile on her face, as she grabbed her hands. "Thank you."

And Juvia, just like she had done every time before that, said, "Don't worry about it."

A few minutes of silence later, Lucy broke the moment, "Holy fuck, that was dramatic."

Juvia just laughed.

"Anyway, do you have any sob stories you would like to share on this emotional night?" Lucy joked.

Juvia stayed quiet for a bit. "Well," she finally said, "You did ask about why I wasn't going anywhere this vacation, and I think it's only fair I tell you, know that you've told me all this stuff."

Lucy didn't say anything, silently telling her to continue.

"It's not a big deal at all, actually," Juvia started, "Got in an argument with my parents. I'm actually pretty used to it, but it was really bad this time… I thought it would be better to just not go home this time."

She sighed, before shrugging, "I didn't mind. But, I don't know, I guess when I came here, it kinda hit me. You guys love each other so much."

"I don't think I'll ever have that, unconditional love. Me and my parents don't get along well, that's just the way we are. I just… Hope I'll find a 'real' family, someday."

"I think you'll find one," Lucy answered honestly, "In fact, maybe you already have," she gave Juvia her most honest smile, forgetting that Juvia could barely see her in the dark.

Holding Lucy's hands in the dark, Juvia agreed, "Maybe."

* * *

 _Attends, tu te fous de ma gueule? Seriousement? - Wait, are you kidding me? Seriously?_  
 _Ugh, Lulu, tu es tellement enervante! Quand je te dis que- Ugh Lulu, you're so annoying! When I tell you that-_

 _I can't write angst for shit but enjoy?_


	5. Chapter 5

"You used to play the violin?" Juvia asked, looking at the picture of a younger Lucy holding one.

Both of them were sitting on the floor, in Jude's room. Earlier in the morning, he had said accidentally told Juvia about the cupboard he had, containing all the family pictures. Despite Lucy protesting, Juvia still dragged her upstairs to look at them.

Minutes later, they were already surrounded in pictures and albums.

Lucy scooted over closer to Juvia, looking at the picture with a smile. "Yeah, I actually went through a music phase. I played a bunch of instruments, but violin was my favorite. It's so peaceful. I also sang a lot, but I gave all of that up. What about you?"

"Me?"

"What did you use to do?"

Juvia thought about it a little. "Well, I use to swim competitively. Until quite recently, actually."

"Wow, really? Why'd you stop?"

"College is a lot of work."

"You should tell Asuka," Lucy joked, "You're my 'mermaid girlfriend' to her, after all, I'm sure she'll be ecstatic to know this."

Juvia looked at her rummaging through pictures, before she stopped and smiled fondly at a picture. She passed it to Juvia shyly.

A woman with a striking resemblance to Lucy stood in the middle of it, holding Lucy's younger self in her arms. Juvia assumed it was Lucy's mother, Layla. On her right stood Jude, looking younger, and on her left stood another woman that Juvia couldn't recognize; she looked a little more youthful than the other adults, and her hair was the

same color as Layla and Lucy's.

"Is that-"

"Yeah," Lucy answered, not giving Juvia the time to finish her question, "That's my aunt, Ancha."

Juvia nodded, admiring the picture. The most noticeable thing to her was their faces; they all looked euphoric, happily smiling into the camera,

"That's my favorite picture of us," Lucy told her, "I think we were on some boat cruise, or something, and we were all just so happy to be together. Even Ancha!" she laughed to herself,

"She actually dyed her hair blue, now."

"What is it with you and blue haired people?"

Lucy just shrugged while Juvia laughed.

* * *

 **ice ice baby (13:09 PM):** so hows the gf?

 **actual mermaid (13:09 PM):** GRAY

 **actual mermaid (13:09 PM):** YOU'RE ALIVE

 **actual mermaid (13:09 PM):** I WAS SO WORRIED YOU DIDN'T TEXT ME ANYTHING

 **ice ice baby (13:09 PM)** : didnt you see lucy texting natsu though?

 **actual mermaid (13:09 PM)** : Yeah but like

 **actual mermaid (13:09 PM):** Not the point

 **actual mermaid (13:10 PM):** How's everything going on your end?

 **ice ice baby (13:10 PM):** great tbh

 **ice ice baby (13:10 PM):** igneel keeps telling me embarassing stories about natsu, i cant wait to use them against him

 **actual mermaid (13:10 PM):** You're evil

 **ice ice baby (13:10 PM):** isnt that why we're friends

 **actual mermaid (13:10 PM)** : ...Yeah

 **ice ice baby (13:10):** either way, natsu broke my phone and thats why i havent been able to text you anything

 **actual mermaid (13:10):** How did he manage to do that?

 **ice ice baby (13:10):** it's natsu after all

* * *

Walking in on Lucy and Michelle's arguments was certainly not one of Juvia's favorite things, especially since they always tried to get her involved.

For the third time that day, Lucy turned towards her to convince her that she was the right one, but Juvia stopped her short with a simple "No."

Lucy pouted before telling her cousin, "We're leaving!" and grabbing Juvia's hand, leaving the house.

"Lucy, what was that for?" Juvia angrily asked, shivering slightly.

"I needed to get away from Michelle, she'll count that as a victory for her. Besides, it's a lovely day for a walk, no?" she answered, looking at the snowflakes slowly falling through the sky.

Then she saw them falling on Juvia's bare arms, who was shivering a lot more now, "You don't have a jacket…" Lucy remarked.

"Obviously, you just dragged me out before I could say anything. Why were you even wearing a jacket and gloves inside the house, anyway?"

"Well, I was planning on going for a walk, but then Michelle showed up and said something pineapple on pizza."

"Oh."

"How do you feel about it?"

"It's horrible," Juvia answered instantly.

Lucy sighed in relief, "I thought I was gonna have to break with you there and then."

Juvia's laugh was cut of by a sneeze, and then her complaining, "Ugh, I'm getting a cold. Great."

Lucy felt guilt creeping up on her, and walked closer to Juvia, grabbing her hand in her gloved one. They were close enough that their shoulders would brush against each other when walking, "Better?" she asked.

"Much."

"Last night," Lucy said, changing the subject, "I couldn't sleep, so I googled bad jokes. Would you like to hear a few?"

Juvia shrugged, "I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent."

"I changed my mind," Juvia said, cringing, "this is going to hurt a lot."

"There was this person who sent twenty different puns to his friends, with the hope that at least ten of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did."

"Ugh," Juvia simply answered, trying to conceal her laugh.

"You hear the one about the three holes in the ground filled with water?"

"No?" Juvia answered, playing along.

"Well, well, well..."

Juvia finally chuckled, "Okay, that one was good, I'll admit it."

"The past, the present and the future walked into a bar," Lucy started.

"It was tense," Juvia finished for her.

Lucy's eyes lit up as Juvia giggled, before the latter asked, "How many of these do you remember?"

"I don't know...A few."

"This is going to be one hell of a walk."

By the time they came back, Juvia had laughed harder than she had in weeks, still holding Lucy's hand. Sadly, her sneezing hadn't seized.


End file.
